Pillow

Let's take a quick stroll down memory lane before I get into this story.  It is of the utmost importance that everyone understand the gravity of one's actions.  
When I was a little girl and sick, I would stay with my grandparents.  My grandmother would cover me up with an old quilt, that had gold flowers on it and smelled of mothballs.  You know the smell.  She also had this feather pillow, she personally slept with it every night.  It was covered by an old satin pillowcase that was a faint mint green with beige lace on the ends.  She claimed the satin case kept her hair intact until she could get to the beauty shop to have it set.   When I was not feeling well... she would bring it to me.  I loved it.  It was a feeling of security, being safe, and loved all wrapped into one... I suppose it was because, it too had a distinct smell- Vicks Salve, Timeless (Avon) perfume and Aquanet. You know how grandma's smell.. like Heaven.  When I got older, she gave me the old quilt and her crown jewel- the feather pillow.  I had the quilt on my bed for years, but over time it has dry rotted and the washing machine was giving it a beating.. so I have put it up for safe keeping.  The pillow, however stayed on my bed from that night forward.  Granted, it is NASTY, and the feathers are "mulch"... but it secured a great night sleep. It was squishy and cuddly,  No amount of filth could persuade me from giving up my pillow.  The mint case was washed regularly and there was very little trace of what was once the lace border, so in my mind.  That was sufficient.   Everyone in the house understood, that is mommy's pillow.  
Now that you understand... allow me to bring you up to date:
In July, the husband and I took a trip to Vegas to celebrate our anniversary.  We were married there and it seemed like the perfect trip to take.. we both forgot how stinkin' hot it is there in JULY- shoes were melting on the sidewalk... you get the idea and this basically has NOTHING to do with my story.. so-
I asked a few family members to keep our babies.  The plan was for kids to stay at my parent's house for one night and have my aunt ,for purposed of this story, we will refer to her as the "Criminal" keep them the other two nights at our house.  Please do not get me wrong, I love the criminal with every fiber of my being, she is my best friend and like a second mother to me... 
While we were gone, I would call my babies everyday to check on them, after I talked to them, I would check on everything with the criminal.  She would explain that they were keeping busy by sorting out closets  and things of this manner.  It did not surprise me that she would look for PIDDLIN' things to do.. she has a form of adha and can't sit still.  We all know this and have learned to accept it. 
The weekend passed and we returned home.  My heart went out for the criminal.. it looked like the kiddos had aged her 10 years.. and instead of hanging around like she normally would do.. the front door could not open FAST enough for her to get out of the madhouse.  Poor Criminal...
That night, I crawled into bed, totally worn out- I looked for my pillow but could not locate it.  I thought to myself- SELF- it's ok... you failed to pack it when you went to Vegas, so you can go one more night without it.  Little did I know what my future held... (DRAMATIC MUSIC Inserted here).
The next morning, I got to looking for it... under the bed, in the closets... everywhere.. NO pillow.  This activity repeated itself for over a week.  A form of true insanity began to emerge.  I tore up this house looking for that sucker.  One day, while I was in the middle of a HUGE breakdown looking for it again, the criminal called.  I asked her if she knew where my pillow was ( cricket chirping, pin drop silence) she said "I THREW THAT NASTY THING AWAY, IT WAS UNHEALTHY".  *** the pain is fresh as I type this-  not easy to relive***
ok- remain calm-  "You did - WHAT?"  - the husband enters the room... listening... I continued.. "You THREW MY PILLOW AWAY?'... the husband mouths "she threw it away"- he darted out of the room... he knew and was right... the situation was about to take a turn for the worse.  The criminal apologized and offered up one of her bed pillows.. LIKE THAT WOULD WORK... crazy talk!   I tried to explain it was like she came in here and threw away Walker's binkie or blankie as some might call it... I realize I am OLD.. but she threw away my BINK!
A few months have passed now and I still miss my pillow.  My irreplaceable pillow, my binkie... I have forgiven the aunt for her criminal act.. but .. the next time I am at her house, I may be forced to HIDE her pillows.

Rockin' The Coupons

So I refuse make this a "frugal" blog.. there are so many wonderful ones out there on the internet that I don't need to repave a road... so to speak.
Here's the story-
This morning I headed over to Club Pub to grab a few deals that peaked my interest.  Yesterday, Walker and I clipped and filed what I needed to make this trip successful.  He knows we do not go to the store without coupons.. and sometimes when I here him playing he will say "get in the car Optimus, so we can go to Publix.- Buzz, you got the coupons?"... uh huh.. teaching them early around here.  So proud!
Anyways, I got lots of freebies... woohoo.. I said FREEBIES today.  Want an example to prove it wasn't circle file junk?  Pledge Wipes, Starkist ( made .50 cents on this deal), Country Crock butter, Kraft CHEESE- oh yea... the real stuff, and eggs to name just a few.  My out of pocket or to be HIP- my OOP was higher than it would have normally been but today I opted to buy 4 Tides and a Dawn detergent.. why so many?  Well, they are on sale for 5.99$ and I had 3 bucks off each one.. so 2.99$ is a FANTASTIC DEAL for HE Tide Detergent.  I also had a small hidden agenda I would like to bring to the ladies' attention..  Heads
  up on this one!
You receive a FREE pink kitchenware set from Good Cook’s Hope line which includes a 2 quart sauce pan with lid, Classic Balloon Wisk, 3 Piece Mini Nylon Tool Set and 2 piece Nylon Scrub Brush Set by mail when you purchase $25 or more of participating Procter and Gamble products in one transaction from Publix.
Now the 25.00$ is before coupons... yea, I know... exciting stuff.. GAME ON!  I love this  opportunity and what I love more is that a large company like P&G is promoting Breast Cancer Awareness.  So ladies, give those oobies a squish and be proactive.  
I know I have bored the stew out of most of you today... I will regroup and post something a bit more entertaining  like what I would like to do with the new recorder Mackenzie brought home from school yesterday..oh yea.. there's a story there, I will tell ya that.  But for now.. take care, rock the coupons, save your money and squish your oobies.. doesn't have to be in that order!

Batman Bottoms

So when Walker woke up this morning he told me it was cold in the house.  I thought it felt terrific... but hormones can give you a false sense of temperature, so I took his word for it.  I had picked him up some winter pjs.. so I pulled out the bottoms and asked him if he wanted to wear them.  He said  "sure- they gots batman on them"... I knew that would be a HUGE selling point when they were purchased for the kid that hates clothes.  He wanted to put them on by himself... so I let him struggle for a few minutes before I stepped in to assist him.  I asked him what was wrong and he said  "I can't get these SLEEVES on my wegs". Mmmmhmmm, I see...So the "sleeves" are getting stuck on your feet... well sure.

Oops, Up Side Your Head

So today Walker and I were in the car, singing in harmony together "The Cat's in the Cradle". One of his favorite songs.. strange huh?  Anyways,  I wasn't watching him in the mirror to make sure he was still buckled... or to make sure he wasn't hanging from the o'nelly bar, like a chimp at the zoo.  He was singing... he was occupied.  It was peaceful.  A little too peaceful.  See with boys, there are a few rules...

1. You can never leave the house without some sort of automobile - i.e. truck, car or airplane

2. There is NO such thing as peaceful.

3.  They can and will multitask when you least expect it... don't get me wrong.. this multitasking is only useful when they see fit... To the best of my knowledge they can NOT pick up toys while watching an exciting movie like Toy Story....can't be done.

4. NEW RULE- when a little boy comes into your family... a perfect shower gift would be a hard hat.  I learned this bit of information today.

Back to the car ride... so we are trucking along... and OUCH... AWE - WHAT THE?  I grabbed the back of my head in shocking pain.  The little passenger decided to make the metal, hotwheels airplane FLY!  Yes, you read that right... that little sucker chunked an airplane at me... behind the wheel... driving the car... listening to his favorite song... without a hard hat.  He was singing... then it hit me... he was multitasking- playing airplane and enjoying a tune.

I cussed... a little... oh hell, I cussed a lot.  I was in shock... a 747 just crashed into my head... I am allowed to cuss... ahem.

He said.. "sorry mommy- I didn't mean to frow it"... ( reading between the lines here... he didn't mean to hit me in the back head...his aim was off) - 

"It might be a good time for you to use the emergency exits WALKER"

Taboo

Ok- Today, I am going to touch on a subject that is taboo for most women.... haircuts at the five and dime.  Now, before I start, I need to make it clear that once upon a time, I would go every six weeks like clockwork to get my haircut.  I would drop 40-45 bucks.. and walk out.  I was always pleased with the cut or so I thought at the time but NOT pleased with the cost... It was ongoing.. like cable... you can never have it paid off.
As time as passed, I have realized, it is hair.. does it really matter?  It will grow if you get a bad cut.  I guess the practical side has jumped into the driver's seat.
Just this past week, I decided it had been two months and I needed a trim.  I do not make appointments, I go when the mood strikes and when I know I have enough patience to sit with the endless chatter.  This time a dude cut it...I felt kinda lucky.. in the past when a dude cut it.. I was pleased... really precise on the wedge. I plopped into the chair, ready for my transformation.
I had high hopes for this 10 dollar cut.  I told him to bring the front up to my chin and tighten the back up.  He began to cut away and I noticed we did not engage in small talk... GREAT- he is paying attention to the job at hand... I had my eyes closed.  When I opened my eyes, I noticed... he was not familiar with the "chin level" guideline... I was getting a little sweaty but decided not to say anything since he was the one with the scissors... I didn't want to get shanked.  Time passed and I hopped out of the chair... he held up the secondary mirror for my approval... ok- I needed to focus on my pleasant "acting" skills... WOW- You hit pay dirt... great job sir.. UGH....Thankful he was not a mindreader... this is the real story " Holy Crap, This is a basic cut.. where did you work before? Lowes... looks like I got in a fight with a weedeater"...
So the question is...Do you get what you pay for?  Does it make sense to spring for a haircut that cost as much as a weeks worth of groceries?  My answer is ... Yes and No... because IT WILL GROW!

I'll Take "How To Tick A 3-Year Old Off" For $200, Alex

When Mackenzie was Walker's age, I had to work.  Since, I do not have to anymore, I made a promise that I would never take for granted the time I have with Walker.  So every single day I make a point to make sure Walker and I have some play time.  It could be something as simple as lining up cars to make "traffic" on the rug.   He likes to do this... and he is the resident expert on hotwheels... so I let him direct me to whatever needs to be done.
Last week, he wanted to play with Woody, Buzz, Megatron and Optimus Prime at the same time.. Ok.- sure, why not?  I made a brave move and suggested we make a "gameshow" with them.  Oh, He was all over this.  He has watched the Wheel of Fortune and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader ( incidentally, I am not) on more than one occasion.  He understood the plan.  We lined up his dolls and decided that Walker would be the voice of Buzz and Woody.  That left me with the Masculine Transformers.
Ok- First question is for Buzz-  "Buzz, If you could have any prize in Target, what would it be?"   Walker thought about this question... then he responded "Darth Vader yadda yadda something"...
OK- Megatron- Same question-  I quickly responded in a man voice "BARBIES"...  Walker furrowed his brow and said "that is for gurls ( dramatic pause inserted here)  Megatron is a boy".  I pretended to be confused and said "Oh, ok- I understand now"  Walker asked Megatron again.. I responded "MY LITTLE PONIES"... and this is when Katie should have barred the door... He had a look of such disgust.. I started cracking up.. his buttons had been pushed beyond his control "YOU ARE NOT A FUNNY MOMMY!- THAT IS FOR GURLS!!... I TOLD YOU, MEGATRON IS A BOY.  YOU NOT LISTEN TO ME.. WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING!- I SAID YOU ARE NOT FUNNY, I AM GOING TO COUNT TO FREE - ONE, TWO....DO NOT MAKE ME GET TO FREE!!"  Me- Still Laughing, "no, Walker, I am not funny- but you sure are..."

No Meatloaf For You

There is now a ban on meatloaf in this house.  It will not be lifted anytime soon.  This was a valid attempt... but no dice.  It did not end up in the trash like the ones before, I salvaged the pan. It wasn't a real meatloaf.  Cows are rolling over at this time. I once again, took their death in vain.  Want Proof- the husband said
 "changed my mind, meatloaf isn't my favorite anymore.. I think I like Salisbury Steak"...   ahem- nuff said